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Homeless Link responds to new official statistics on deaths of people who are homeless

New data from the Office of National Statistics shows that there were an estimated 597 deaths of homeless people in England and Wales in 2017, a figure that has increased by 24% over the last five years.

Responding Rick Henderson, Chief Executive of Homeless Link, said: “It’s unacceptable that so many people are dying in this country when they are homeless. To die when you are on the streets, or living in temporary, insecure, accommodation, is an indignity that no one should have to face – especially as no one in our society should be homeless in the first place.

“These tragic deaths must be taken seriously and stopped. Every time someone who is homeless dies there should be a thorough investigation into the cause of death, so we can learn how to prevent them in the future - Homeless Link have been calling for this for a long time, it’s shocking that it isn’t happening already.

“Homelessness is a key health inequality and one of the causes of premature death. But we know that homelessness is preventable. With thousands of people continuing to find themselves without a roof over their heads the Government must urgently look at solving the structural causes of homelessness by tackling poverty, the broken welfare system and building more genuinely affordable housing.”